Dear...
And at
midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Acts 16:25
Like Paul and Silas, you could be a prisoner of a present difficult circumstance. But unlike them, you are groaning
and moaning, and a positive countenance is a distant stranger to your state of emotion.
But truth is we can be joyful in all circumstances, if we remember and acknowledge God as sovereign in our lives.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart
trusted in him, and I am helped:
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.'
Psalms 28:7
Of
late, I have become very cognizance of the very visible and prescient
hand of God in my life. And His omnipresence and Sovereignty in every
facet of my daily living. It is no small wonder that like Paul and
Silas, thankful joy emanates that much more easily from my once doubtful
heart.
The mantra going forward for me is no longer, "Sovereign God
take this burden away from me," but rather, "Lord, what is Your will and
how do You want me to respond?"
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 11:28
Tuesday,
November 13th is Deepavali , the "festival of lights" as celebrated by
the Hindus, who are primarily Indians. How memories can fade so
quickly from what was once searing and painful experiences. It was
during the Deepavali holiday four years back in year 2008, when the
"lights were switched off" for many when banks mercilessly forced sold
pledged assets of the once wealthy, and great wealth was lost in one
day. Today, many are back worshipping the largess of mammon, forgetting
that an even more intense shake could be just round the corner.
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Ezekiel 3:5
Today,
how many of us truly continue to experience or even remember that deep
sense of communion of our spirit with You, God,when Your Spirit first
imbued in us that sanctifying grace, when we first believed. It is my
prayer for all that it be revived and reinvigorated. That many will be
moved from nonchalant believer to a desirous, and determined
disciple of Christ our Lord.
But the house of Israel will not
hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house
of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
Ezekiel 3:7
On
light, our good Lord impressed upon my heart that we must be holy, for
He is holy. But as witnessed by the recent headlines news of General
Petreus as well our our own once men of eminence, men are always
susceptible to temptation.
Only by the grace of God can we overcome.
To do that, we must be determined to stay in the light of Christ our
redeemer. For to step out of the light is to be in darkness. "The
spotlight of faith," we must stay within it always, for it is easy to
lose one's way in the darkness.
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John
4:34
The American coinage proudly proclaim "In God we trust."
But reality is God increasingly being shunted aside. The Israelites
today remains militarily superior in the Mid-East, but her moral
foundations have been increasingly eroded. Will a near defeat next year
at the hands of its array of enemies gathered at her borders be a
necessary reminder of her vulnerability, yet need for total dependency
upon our great God?
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
It
is easy to forget God's call to us who once was blind, but now am not.
Its been nearly two months in my new workplace. It has been wonderful
for our Lord provides. But there are moments when I forget the very
purpose of my being here. But thanks be to God, He remains faithful,
much as we often waiver.
'But as for me,
I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God."
Psalm 31:14
God blesses
Eng hieang
20th Nov 12
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Heart to heart #44 Coming of age (10th Nov 2012)
Dear...
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31
You know you have come of age when you find yourself nestled right at the summit of the age pyramid in the office. Seems like just yesterday, I was a fresh sprig of a trainee bank officer, with natural light brown hair, with the vigor of a young buck enjoying the onset of Spring. And God is interesting. At this fresh start in the Autumn of my career, it is a flashback. He has placed me less than 100 meters in the vicinity of where I first started my career 27 years back.
That he no linger should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1 Peter 4:2
Lust is a sin men seems more susceptible to. That is what all of us were agreed upon in our men only discussion a week back. Lustful stirrings have not gone into hibernation for me, much as age should reduce one's libido. The Lord's prayer that Christ taught us has this request " that God lead us not to temptation," rather than "help us overcome temptation."
Indeed, we often do what we should not do, and if not for the grace of God, Who keeps us away from the treacherous rocks, succumbing to the sirens' call to lusts will be the norm for me.
'....... but live according to God in the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray....'
1 Peter 4:6-7
But it does not mean that God will not allow us to be tested. God does not tempt us,but He can allow the devil to do so. But He will give us a way out. But our willingness to avail ourselves of that escape route will be a function of the continued state of preparedness of our heart. A heart that is willing to let go of our carnal desires, and let Him, God our Father Whom we have come to know and love.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Psalms 119:15-16
The diligent seeking of the Lord our God in prayers, in His words, in His works. The determined discipline in our daily walk with Him, these will imbue in us, an alignment of our spirit man with the Spirit God. A process of transformation that the devil in all its wiles, will find difficult to lure back the once carnal us, unless we ourselves deliberately want to move out of the presence of our Lord. Even then, I come to know that God will divinely intervene to shake loose the sinful desires creeping upon us.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11
Age and experience helps but do not qualify us as having attained the highest echelons of Christiandom. Two of the disciples, or at least their mother,were jostling for positions of power when they thought that the kingdom of God was near(Matthew 20:21). God looks for a heart of servant leadership, and He must increase, we must decrease. The world must see Christ in us but not us.
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
John 9:36-38
With Hurricane Sandy, some will come to know God. Yet others will reconnect with Him. The same happened for Katrina in New Orleans, the Aceh tsunami and I am sure for the next few disasters ahead. But time is short. How many more shake ups and how much more intense should it be before you will believe that there is a Sovereign God?
Clearly the devil is desperately determined to snatch as many souls as its slimy claws can lay on before Christ returns. Singapore is concerned about its aging population and declining birth rates, yet, we have willingly allowed abortion to go rampant, for every 3 live births, we have one aborted baby. It was 12,082 abortions in year 2010. ( see statistics at http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-singapore.html )
We have "killed" 598,750 babies since abortion was legalized in 1970.
There are always good reasons to abort. Similarly there are good reasons to engage in unnatural carnality as there are to have casinos. But have we ever taken time to seek God and His will, for He is Sovereign?
Without God, it is only correct for men to "play" god based on their finite and flawed understanding, whose basis come from the fruit of disobedience.
What is not possible for men, all things are possible through God.
For there is a Sovereign God, Who through the ages have been forgiving of our sinfulness. But the time is near when God will judge the world, and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:29
God blesses
Eng Hieang
10th Nov 2012
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31
You know you have come of age when you find yourself nestled right at the summit of the age pyramid in the office. Seems like just yesterday, I was a fresh sprig of a trainee bank officer, with natural light brown hair, with the vigor of a young buck enjoying the onset of Spring. And God is interesting. At this fresh start in the Autumn of my career, it is a flashback. He has placed me less than 100 meters in the vicinity of where I first started my career 27 years back.
That he no linger should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1 Peter 4:2
Lust is a sin men seems more susceptible to. That is what all of us were agreed upon in our men only discussion a week back. Lustful stirrings have not gone into hibernation for me, much as age should reduce one's libido. The Lord's prayer that Christ taught us has this request " that God lead us not to temptation," rather than "help us overcome temptation."
Indeed, we often do what we should not do, and if not for the grace of God, Who keeps us away from the treacherous rocks, succumbing to the sirens' call to lusts will be the norm for me.
'....... but live according to God in the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray....'
1 Peter 4:6-7
But it does not mean that God will not allow us to be tested. God does not tempt us,but He can allow the devil to do so. But He will give us a way out. But our willingness to avail ourselves of that escape route will be a function of the continued state of preparedness of our heart. A heart that is willing to let go of our carnal desires, and let Him, God our Father Whom we have come to know and love.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Psalms 119:15-16
The diligent seeking of the Lord our God in prayers, in His words, in His works. The determined discipline in our daily walk with Him, these will imbue in us, an alignment of our spirit man with the Spirit God. A process of transformation that the devil in all its wiles, will find difficult to lure back the once carnal us, unless we ourselves deliberately want to move out of the presence of our Lord. Even then, I come to know that God will divinely intervene to shake loose the sinful desires creeping upon us.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11
Age and experience helps but do not qualify us as having attained the highest echelons of Christiandom. Two of the disciples, or at least their mother,were jostling for positions of power when they thought that the kingdom of God was near(Matthew 20:21). God looks for a heart of servant leadership, and He must increase, we must decrease. The world must see Christ in us but not us.
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
John 9:36-38
With Hurricane Sandy, some will come to know God. Yet others will reconnect with Him. The same happened for Katrina in New Orleans, the Aceh tsunami and I am sure for the next few disasters ahead. But time is short. How many more shake ups and how much more intense should it be before you will believe that there is a Sovereign God?
Clearly the devil is desperately determined to snatch as many souls as its slimy claws can lay on before Christ returns. Singapore is concerned about its aging population and declining birth rates, yet, we have willingly allowed abortion to go rampant, for every 3 live births, we have one aborted baby. It was 12,082 abortions in year 2010. ( see statistics at http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-singapore.html )
We have "killed" 598,750 babies since abortion was legalized in 1970.
There are always good reasons to abort. Similarly there are good reasons to engage in unnatural carnality as there are to have casinos. But have we ever taken time to seek God and His will, for He is Sovereign?
Without God, it is only correct for men to "play" god based on their finite and flawed understanding, whose basis come from the fruit of disobedience.
What is not possible for men, all things are possible through God.
For there is a Sovereign God, Who through the ages have been forgiving of our sinfulness. But the time is near when God will judge the world, and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:29
God blesses
Eng Hieang
10th Nov 2012
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